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Mercenary Kings Image

Mercenary Kings (PC)

Release Date:
Also On: PlayStation 4
76
Metascore
 13 reviews
6.5
User Score
 61 ratings
Rate Game
Developer: Tribute Games Tribute Games Inc.
Publisher: Tribute Games
Game Details: Craft your arsenal to avenge your fallen comrades and save the world from the fearsome forces of
Craft your arsenal to avenge your fallen comrades and save the world from the fearsome forces of CLAW. Save the world. In this frantic 2D action game, you are part of the Mercenary Kings, the most skilled team of warriors-for-hire on Earth. When your comrades have fallen and the fearsome forces of CLAW have seized an island-wide top secret Laboratory Base, you must do what it takes to stop them. But you're not going in unprepared - as backup you've got a crew of rogue geniuses andCraft your arsenal to avenge your fallen comrades and save the world from the fearsome forces of CLAW. Save the world. In this frantic 2D action game, you are part of the Mercenary Kings, the most skilled team of warriors-for-hire on Earth. When your comrades have fallen and the fearsome forces of CLAW have seized an island-wide top secret Laboratory Base, you must do what it takes to stop them. But you're not going in unprepared - as backup you've got a crew of rogue geniuses and experts in their field. Able to craft and customize guns'n'blades or upgrade your body armour, you've never been this ready to join the fight.… Expand
Developer: Tribute Games Tribute Games Inc.
Publisher: Tribute Games
Genre(s): General Action General Shooter Scrolling Shoot-'Em-Up Vertical Horizontal
Cheats: On GameFAQs
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Critic Reviews
(13)
76
Metascore Generally favorable reviews
10 Positive Ratings 76%
3 Mixed Ratings 23%
0 Negative Ratings 0%
Based on 13 Critic Reviews View All
90
Games.cz
May 2, 2014
"When a game's content goes hand in hand with its form, it's always a pleasure. Moreover, when the old times meet the modern-day, and it works great somehow, we may call it a miracle. Such is Mercenary Kings a shooter." ... Read full review
90
Destructoid
Apr 1, 2014
"Mercenary Kings is a game that keeps on giving with its breadth of content. Combining the mission structure from Monster Hunter with the gameplay of Metal Slug is a brilliant idea, and one that has paid off in spades." ... Read full review
85
Polygon
Apr 9, 2014
"Mercenary Kings builds on the simplicity of classic run-and-gun shooting gameplay in an elegant way. The game is actually overflowing with content, but it's in the form of tweaks to the formula rather than giant shifts — a new enemy here and there, a gun part that completely changes your approach and so on." ... Read full review
80
Game Informer
Mar 25, 2014
"Mercenary Kings is a testament to the idea that you can get too much of a good thing." ... Read full review
77
LevelUp
Apr 21, 2014
"Mercenary Kings is a trip fueled by the nostalgia of the 8 and 16 bit classics; veteran players will find the core aspect of the games amusing, while the modern aspects might appeal to new players." ... Read full review
75
Hooked Gamers
Mar 27, 2014
"While the developers may have missed their overall mark of mixing retro style with a story and a crafting system, what they did manage to pull off was the core game itself." ... Read full review
50
Edge Magazine
Apr 8, 2014
"As a whole, Mercenary Kings is a case study in the perils of Early Access. The need to provide a steady flow of content to early buyers has birthed a glut of superfluous systems and a swollen set of missions – the wrong sort of substance to accompany Robertson’s style." ... Read full review
User Reviews
(18)
6.5
User Score Mixed or average reviews
29 Positive Ratings 47%
20 Mixed Ratings 32%
12 Negative Ratings 19%
Based on 61 Ratings and 18 Reviews View All
9
famicom
Apr 6, 2014
note that many of the reviews were written about the early access version of the game. while things haven't changed drastically, keep in mindnote that many of the reviews were written about the early access version of the game. while things haven't changed drastically, keep in mind that it was an unfinished product and the reviewers were effectively beta testers.

the best way i could describe mercenary kings is a combination of gunstar heroes, contra, megaman, and monster hunter- some parts are more successful than others.

the megaman aspect comes into play from battling bosses with learnable patterns. you're going to want to learn them at some point, because the bosses drop materials for crafting new weapons, armor, and items like monster hunter.

it's a slightly slower paced side scrolling shooter with a cool mechanic reminiscent of gunstar heroes (or borderlands, for the younger crowd)- the guns you can make can have several different bullet types, from bouncing cannonballs and shotgun blasts to homing missiles, and you can add a few different elemental effects on top of it. the game is a little more forgiving than contra- you respawn in the nearest medic bay, have a few lives, and can come into the mission with healing items to revive or heal.

on the downside, you may get sucked in to farming the same levels over and over to get the materials needed for your next upgrade, and this can get tedious (again, think monster hunter, though nowhere near as bad). that being said, this game really shines if you can play multiplayer with someone else in the room/a friend over chat, as you can break the monotony helping each other doing different missions or splitting up in the same mission to clear it faster. if you don't have someone you know to play with, it will dampen your enjoyment of the game a bit, which is not reflected in my score.

all things considered, i had a blast reconnecting with my much younger brother (14 year age difference) and chalked up about 30 hours of playtime. there's still plenty of room for improvement, but i feel i more than got my money's worth.… Expand
8
SlyguyTheCritic
Aug 2, 2013
Now, I'm the first to admit that I was skeptical of this game at first, retro graphics are a bit of a fad, and, it seemed like they took someNow, I'm the first to admit that I was skeptical of this game at first, retro graphics are a bit of a fad, and, it seemed like they took some old game-play and slapped a poorly thought crafting system onto it. But even as a beta, the game is showing a lot of promise with a robust weapons crafting system, a decent soundtrack, a fair price, surprisingly good art design, and solid controls. Now, keep in mind this was written while the game is in beta. But even in beta this game is definitely worth it… Expand
6
TitaniumDragon
Nov 8, 2015
Pros:

* Decent Megamanish/Metal Slugish 2D shooter-platformer gameplay. * Reasonable variety in weapons. * Decent level and boss design.Pros:

* Decent Megamanish/Metal Slugish 2D shooter-platformer gameplay.
* Reasonable variety in weapons.
* Decent level and boss design.
* Amusing if flat characters.

Cons:

* Weapon crafting system penalizes you for experimenting with weapons.
* Farming for enemy drops to craft better gear is grindy.
* Game does a poor job of explaining how its various systems work.
* Repeated level/boss use results in the game feeling less than fresh the longer it goes.… Expand
5
MarcosRV
May 22, 2015
I really wanted to enjoy this game. It has a cool concept, very reminiscent of the old platformers and SNK's war-themed games. But the PCI really wanted to enjoy this game. It has a cool concept, very reminiscent of the old platformers and SNK's war-themed games. But the PC version is so plagued with bugs and bad support that they stained the game to an irreparable level. At first, it was the first game on Steam that I couldn't run, and this situation persisted after trying all possible fixes. So, I gave up for a time and tried some months after with a new build. Lucky me, the game worked now! Only to discover there's some kind of silly screen stutter that's very annoying and, according to forums, happens with a lot of people. Again, no fix available. The developer support is AWFUL, they basically suggest you to get rid of a lot of applications - much of them useful - that could be installed on your computer. So the bugs and crashes are not their problem, let the consumers find their way. This laughable and rage-inducing attitude made me quit trying to play this game, unfortunately. Because it was fun for some minutes.… Expand
3
Wuggle
Apr 3, 2014
Clearly pixel retro style nostalgia or denial that they wasted their money kickstarting this game is causing most of the 'professional' gameClearly pixel retro style nostalgia or denial that they wasted their money kickstarting this game is causing most of the 'professional' game critics to significantly over rate this game. I do not have a hatred for Indie games, I love lots of them but this one is not it.... its graphics quickly become boring and the controls just feel terrible and frustrating. Some of the gameplay of what exactly you're supposed to be doing seemed to be lost on me too.... maybe I got fed up and clicked through some important tip in the barrage of text bubbles? It is free on the PS Plus service at the moment so I cannot really complain but it certainly isn't a 9 out of 10 as some reviewers are trying to suggest. Far from it!… Expand
3
CartoonHead
Nov 9, 2014
Nothing particularly wrong with the game. it is just boring. Going of the same maps over and over again doing MMO style quests to get moreNothing particularly wrong with the game. it is just boring. Going of the same maps over and over again doing MMO style quests to get more powerful weapon bits that don't actually add any real variation to the game. It just feels like a chore rather than fun.… Expand
0
NFFNSNC
Jul 22, 2015
Devs still haven't implemented a way to reconfigure controller buttons, even though they said they would 2 years ago when the game was inDevs still haven't implemented a way to reconfigure controller buttons, even though they said they would 2 years ago when the game was in early access. Doesn't work with x360CE for some reason even if the buttons are correct, it still mixes them up. Another popular way is to configure your controller in Steam big picture mode, but it doesn't work for all controllers (including mine). 0 for lying devs.… Expand
User Reviews